Rain, Rain Go Away

Noelle and Ty want to go out and play! Noelle has been dying to go the Farm and makes sure to tell me every single time we pass by it.  Which happens to be numerous times a day: when we drop Ty off at the sitter, drive back home, pick him up, and drive back home again, or go to the pool since it's right next door. 

Well, yesterday, it was do or die.  We were going to the farm rain or shine.  I promised.  It was drizzling when we arrive but the kids didn't mind at all.  We started at the petting zoo and just as I knew he would, Ty tried to kiss every animal in sight.  And if he wasn't trying to plant one on them, they were flocking to him. GROSS.

The goats were a little skittish, probably due to the impending storm that was headed our way and it really freaked Noelle out.  As they raced around the pen, she kept one arm in front of her face :-)  The only thing she would pet was the pony.

Ty loved the miniature horse.  His face says it all.

We then headed over to watch the goats get fed.  The kids loved every second of it.  Ty just kept saying "AWWW AWWW". 

They played at the (wet) park for a bit, terrorized some ducks, and pet the horses.

That was about when the torrential downpour hit. We ran to the car and were pretty much soaked through and through. When we got home, I figure I might as well let the kids play in the rain for a bit.  It was coming down so hard, you can barely see Ty in the last shot ....

My Little Helper

Dear Ty-Ty,

I can't believe how quick you catch on to everything! Tonight, after dinner, you were helping me clean up.  I was so surprised that you knew where to put the silverware in the dishwasher.  Then, I was letting you play in the sink while I loaded the rest of the dishes and you took the scrubber brush and pushed all the food into the garbage disposal.  I had no idea you even knew how to do that! One of the things your sister and you like to fight over is who gets to get the dishwasher tab...but since she was back out in the pool, you were able to do it all by yourself.  You put the tab in, closed the compartment, shut the dishwasher, locked it, and turned it on.  5 steps in a row without me telling you what to do!! I couldn't believe it :-) 

There is a quote that goes something like- Don't worry that your children never listen to you, worry they are always watching you.  How true it is!

I love you baby boy,
Momma

My Subconscious Working Over Time

9 times out of 10, the family is dressed in matching colors.  I don't intentionally do it, and half the time I don't even notice it until Jeremy comes home and points it out.  For example, yesterday we were all in yellow/blue/khaki.

I guess I do it subconsciously, who knows.  Noelle is getting good at pointing it out too.  She's really into "matching".  The origin of her diva personality baffles me.  Lord knows I'm not like that!

I remember on Spring Break when we were up at the Dells, I told her to put her shoes on.  She got all grumpy and said, "I can't wear these shoes!"  When I asked her why not, she said, "Because they don't match."  Seeing as they were the only gym shoes I packed, I reassured her they did match and looked great.  She they said, "These shoes are purple.  Do you see any purple in my outfit?"  She had me there...and we ended up switching tops.  I think I might be in trouble when the teenage years roll around, what do you think?

Adventures in Dance Class Week #2

Things went a lot smoother this week at dance class.  As you can see, I caved in and bought a cute dance outfit.  I couldn't resist.  We were at Target and I figured we would try it on and see if she liked it.  Who was I kidding? Once she put it on, her eyes got very wide and she whispered, "Can I dance like Cinderella?"  As she danced around the fitting room, I got a little teary eyed.  She looked like a million bucks and you can tell she felt that way too.  We all know that feeling- when you get a new pair of shoes, new haircut, new dress, etc.  She then asked, "Can we get it? Daddy is going to LOVE this."  After that comment, I would have bought this regardless of the price! The tu-tu part is all sortsa sparkly and she was right, Daddy did love it!

We arrive early at class so she wouldn't be overwhelmed, and she quietly took her seat.  Her teachers welcomed her with a fun game and Noelle seemed pretty comfortable.  I got my camera out and was all set to take some video.  Then the teachers told the moms that we had to leave and go wait in a room down the hall.

Time out.  It's too soon to leave them alone! This is only the second week! I need to be able to prepare Noelle (and myself) mentally for things like this.

Reluctantly, we all shuffled out of the dance studio, but forget room 207 clear across the building.  We all camped out behind the closed studio door, you know, in case our little girls needed us for anything.  As the half hour crept by, the moms all started talking.  Funny thing is, all our differences faded to the background and we commiserated together on how it was too soon to leave them, wondering if they needed us for anything, and waited for our daughters to come out early for a quick cuddle or pep talk. 

No one came out in tears, and we took turns peeking through the crack of the door to make sure everything was ok.  It's funny how when it comes down to it, all moms have things in common when it comes to our kids.  We all have trouble letting go, we're fiercely protective of our kids, and let's face it: motherhood can be downright difficult at times.  It was comforting in its own weird way to sit with these other moms and hear them echo my thoughts and concerns.  Who knew we were so alike? I need to work on finding those similarities.

As we walked into dance, I saw this license plate and took a picture as proof to support my first dance post.  But after talking to the moms in our ad hoc separation anxiety support group, and after taking a deeper look, I found the commonality- we both drive Toyotas.  A great choice I might add ;-)

Pig Tails are OUT

Me: "Come here so I can put piggie tails in your hair."

Noelle: "I don't want pig tails.  Nobody wears pig tails mom."

Me: "They don't??"

Noelle: "No, I just want plain hair."

Holy Molars Batman

Dear Ty,

Despite having a super awesome Friday Funday, you weren't you're usual self today.  You'd be fine one minute and then without warning, you'd have a major meltdown.  The worst was after the pool when you were foaming at the mouth in the middle of the driveway for all the neighbors to see.  That was fun. Thank you!

Anyways, I found the culprit as we were playing later on this evening.  Or should I say culprits.  TWO molars are pushing their way through.  OUCH.  I can't wait until you are old enough to tell me when something hurts.  It'll make both of our lives much easier.  Until then, I'll keep a steady supply of Tylenol and Motrin in your diet.  And maybe some freeze pops too!!

That brings your tooth count to 10 total. Congrats Ty-Ty!!
Love you,
Momma

A Special Request

Noelle: "Mommy can we get a kitty?"

Me: "A kitty?!"

Noelle: "Ya, a kitty cat.  So I can take it to the kitty pool with me."

Colorado here we come...

It's official.  We'll be headed to Colorado in a few weeks to do some hiking and camping in Rocky Mountain National Park!  We did a trial run with camping this past weekend down in Shelbyville to see how the kids would like it.  We took Jeremy's Dad's boat down and met up with him, Amy, Katie, and Blake on Saturday.  We got out on the water for a little bit late Saturday and then spent all day on the boat on Sunday. 

(Ty is not sunburned here..just the red awning casting a glow on him.)

We were thrilled to see that Ty and Noelle absolutely loved the whole camping experience.  When we put the tent up, they ran around in it, giggled, laughed, fell down, twirled around and just plain had a good 'ole time.

Their favorite part was the doggie den in the back of the picture, as well as the little doggie window.  You see, we registered for this tent for our wedding..ahem...five years ago when we were into the whole "2 people + dog = perfect family".  With two kids, we know realize how disillusioned we were, and we don't hesitate to laugh at our friends who are in that stage now.  The reality is that once the kids come along, the dogs take a distant backseat to everything else, so do yourself a favor and get a tent geared towards actual people, or do one better and ditch the whole "get a dog" idea.

 :-)

At least the doggie den won't go to waste since the kids LOVE IT.  Yes, I know, you would think that we'd have opened the tent sooner than when the warranty expired, but it never happened.  I was on my deathbed the summer after we got married due to being pregnant with Noelle, the next summer I was nursing an infant and couldn't imagine breastfeeding/pumping in a tent with all the dirt, sweat, etc.  Gross.  Repeat year 1 and 2 for Ty. 

But alas, our time has come and we were so thrilled at how smoothly it all went.  With a 3 and 1 year old, you just never know what can happen.  But one thing I realized this weekend is that sometimes you just have to do it.  I'm a worrier/planner by nature, so there is always a part of me that wants things laid out 100% of the time with no surprise.  Of course, life isn't like that and I learned this weekend that you just have to let go and roll with it.  Not many people would take 2 little-littles on a 15 hour drive to camp out west, but we are.  It's doable and totally going to be worth it.

I happen to have a slight (okay, a HUGE) obsessions with National Parks and have been researching like crazy.  Can't wait to post all about it! And if all else fails, we'll just run the kids ragged until they look like the last picture here...then we'll know they'll sleep well at night :-)

                      

Race Time!

On Memorial Day, Jeremy, the kids, and I headed up to my old neighborhood and got ready to race in a 5k.  For my brother, David, and I, this would be our second annual run. I found the race shortly after I had Ty last year and signed up to force myself to get into shape and get the baby weight off.  I thought this was a good race, since I knew the area and they had a kids dash- perfect for Noelle.  I remember right after signing up, David called me in a hysterical fit of laughter saying that he read online this race "contained the highest hill in Chicago."  I was so NOT looking forward to it.

Race day came and went, I ran best I could, walked up the HILL(S), and finished in a halfway decent time for someone who just had a baby 3 months prior. 

When I got the race registration email for the 2010 race, I was pretty excited to avenge the course.  I had just finished training for my half marathon, so what's a hilly 5k after 13.1 miles of insane torture?

Here's a shot of me and my little (well not so little, I guess!!) brother pre-race.

Here we are again at the start of the race...

Finishing strong- course PR shaved 3:45 off my time!!

Running with Noelle in the kids dash....

David, my niece Ella, Me, and Noelle post-race.

It was a hot, humid, muggy Chicago day, but we all ran tough.  Looking forward to next year.  David and I are planning our goals now-  he wants to be top 150 overall, I want to be top 3 in my age group and get some hardware to wear around :-) 

Sleepy head Noelle.  Sometimes it's hard to tell if she is faking or not, but when we said "WHOA look at all those barbies!!!" and she kept sleeping, we knew she was out!

What in the world is going on?

Dear Noelle,

Today was your first day of dance class.  You love to dance around the house and so I thought it would be something you would enjoy doing.  I'll admit, I was a little hesitant to write the check because the only class available to 3 year olds had a description that was....well...what's the word....artsy.  But nevertheless, I signed you up and walked in to the room with an open mind and great expectations.

Artsy doesn't begin to describe the instructors or atmosphere.  It was weird not necessarily something I'd experience before, but it was obvious that some of the other parents had been ballerinas in their younger years because their kids were decked out in finest tu-tus, leotards, and tightly wound buns that looked downright ridiculous.  I'd imagine their excitement in this creative movement class paralleled my excitement when you ran you first race, so I do get it.  Sort of.

The instructors turned out to be great as I watched with a critical teacher's eye. Everything was sequenced and designed very well.  I could tell you were a little uneasy at first because every time you started a new exercise you shot me a look-  wide eyes, slight smile- as if to say are you kidding me?! I did what I know best and called out all sorts of encouraging words and praise, even if that's not the dancer thing to do.

Towards the end, you got more comfortable and when the teacher asked if anyone had a favorite dance move they wanted to show, you piped up "I DO".  I held my breath and prayed to God that you didn't bust out your highly inappropriate booty shaker.  Thankfully, you did a twirl that all the other girls wanted to copy...and a mighty fine twirl at that. 

All in all, it was a good first day. You seemed to enjoy the experience, which is good considering we've got a 9:45 appointment with the artsy life for the next 2.5 months.  When I asked you what you thought of your first class, you said "The music was weird." Yep- you definitely have never heard classical music before.  Maybe I should request some Black Eyed Peas at the next class...on second thought the instructor would probably have a heart attack if "Do it" came on.  Guess I'll just have to play some Mozart and Beethoven in the car.  Maybe in between tu-tu shopping and figuring out how to get your hair up in a bun.  What do you think babe?

Love you,
Momma

Say Cheese!! and Ice Cream!

Summer time and the livin's easy!  We enjoyed some delicious custard and our favorite local ice cream shop this past Friday.  Ty was able to feed himself and managed to get most of the treat in his mouth.

Noelle was happy to have ice cream too- but opted to go without sprinkles this time.  A big change from last summer, when all she would order is a cup of sprinkles with a little ice cream.  Maybe she has finally figured out that sprinkles, although pleasing to the eye, really taste like crap?? 

Say "CHEESE"

Here's a short clip of our stubborn little guy.  We know Ty is smart.  He can follow one step directions.  He listens very intently and when he feels like it, he repeats words, or actually follows through with the one step directives.  You can see the gears turning in his little brain, processing the situation.  At that point one of two things happen: 1. He does what he is told or 2. He smiles ever so slowly and turns and runs away.  It's almost like slow motion.  You see, Ty only does what he wants when HE wants to.  He's a stinker like that.

Then there is the rare occasion where he blurts out a word, clear as day, that he probably had been able to say for months.  You'll see in the video here:

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Oh Ty! You are such a character!  Can't wait for more surprises from you!
Love you,
Mommy

Stream of Consciousness

I am behind in the blogging arena. I still haven't blogged about the marathon nearly a month ago, and have to update on my awesome girls weekend last weekend. I pull up the page to get a start and the template is all jacked up. Who knows how long it's been like that. UGH. Had to google the step by step instructions to get a decent template back up. I like it. It's nautical, makes me think of living on the east coast, which is where I would pack up and move to in a heartbeat if Jeremy would allow it. Ty has been neglected this morning as I figured out the logistics of the switch. No matter though, as soon as sleepy head Noelle wakes up, we're going to go to the pool, maybe wash the Sequoia, plant some flowers that desperately need to be planted. The garden is going well. The damn vole keeps eating my cucumber plants, but the bunnies have steered away from the beans and they are coming along nicely. I think it's because I planted onions on the outside perimeter. Can't wait until the school year is over. The kids have gone nuts and I am ready for summer. Looking forward to this weekend, graduation parties, going up to the hometown for a race on Monday. Ran a great time in my workout last night, feeling like a PR is coming. Well, not a college PR, but a post-college, post-2 kids PR. Should be fun if it's not blazing hot. Noelle has a race too. Might go get her some new running shorts. Man, I have a lot to say. Wish I could call someone but my phone is dead. Dropped it yesterday and the top part of the flip part broke off. That should probably be a priority of to do's today. Along with getting to the gym to get my quarter workout done. Softball tonight and Jeremy's team plays some of my former students. Should be fun. Oh, Noelle is up, so I better wrap it up!

On a roll again

Dear Noelle,

I don't know what it is about you, but you continue to say the darnedest stuff:

Daddy says to Mommy as we got out of the car: "No wonder Ty was fussing in his seat, he had a ball up his ass."

Noelle (while pulling her stuffed monkey from under her butt): "And I had a monkey up my ass!"

***************************************************************************

Daddy: "I need a smoocher from somebody who loves me."
Noelle: "Ty loves you"

***************************************************************************
Noelle: "Remember when that guy died in Pocahontas??"
Mommy: "Yes, that was really sad."
Noelle: "Did he go to be with Jesus?"
Mommy: "Yes, when people die, they go to Heaven to live with Jesus."
Noelle: "Oh, that's good. Jesus is a really great guy."

***************************************************************************
Mommy: "Noelle you're a great big sister!!"
Noelle: "I know I am. I love my bruddar. He is my favorite. YES.HE.IS!!"

Thanks for all the laughs little girl!
Love you,
Momma

Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day

Another great Mother's Day spent with my wonderful husband and two great kids! We went on our annual Turkey Run Trail 3 hike and for the first time, we only had to wear one child. Noelle did a fantastic job during the rigorous two mile hike...

She only got scared once- when she had to climb up the waterfall. Luckily Daddy came to the rescue and carried her. The water was flowing pretty quickly and the rocks were slick too, so I was glad that all four of us made it up safe and sound.

"Mama bear and baby bear" eating some trail mix in a "cave"...

The best $5.99 every spent. Once Noelle got used to the ice cold water, she was splashing through the water like nobody's business...

Here we are at the looooong ladders we had to climb down, part of what makes Trail 3 so awesome! Noelle was SO BRAVE and didn't even bat an eye going down the steps. It might have had something to do with the fact that I told her Harper and Alex from The Witches of Waverly Place might be waiting at the end, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do!

FREEDOM! Ty enjoyed his time out of the baby carrier and had one speed today on the trail: fast.

I'd imagine Noelle's little legs will be sore tomorrow. She climbed the 300+ stairs like a champ!

It's amazing what a difference a year makes. If you have a minute, check out the slide show from last year's hike. (click here to go to last year's post http://adayinthehunthouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/mom-of-two.html )The kids were so tiny!! Thanks for an awesome day guys! I love you!!

Batter Up!!

Dear Ty-Ty,

I came home from a National Board study session this past Saturday, and you and daddy had the best surprise waiting for me! Here you are taking your first swings with the baseball bat. My favorite is when you swing your arms side to side- SO.STINKIN'.CUTE.

Love,
Mommy

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Easter 4/4/2010

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WHEW!

This has been the busiest.week.ever. Peak week of my half marathon training, tons of meetings, battling a massive head cold, running, volunteer work at OWB, ACT tutoring, Jeremy's softball games, more running, playing in our new park that our subdivision FINALLY finished, Little Gym with Noelle, Little Gym with Ty, getting the Cross Country summer camp set up, organizing a fundraiser, baseball tailgating, working the track meet all day tomorrow, getting the garden ready, capping off my 35 mile week with, yep you guessed, MORE RUNNING. I'm exhausted. Before I go to bed, here's a sneak peak of Easter that I have yet to write about. I suppose I should probably post some pics from our spring break trip we took a month ago too, but maybe next time!!

Inny Turned Outy

Have you ever eaten so much that your belly looks like this?

That your stomach protrudes out like an Ethiopian child?

That your stomach is so full it forces your inny to become an outy?

It's okay. You can admit it. Lord knows I feel like this some days too.

The funny thing is, is that this little man:

consumes an insane amount of food at every meal and the once thought rare phenomenon of inny turned outy has now become a daily occurrence in the Hunt House.

Ty is 14 months and we may have to adjust the monthly food budget to keep this chunker fed. He still continues with the dog food obsession and sneaks pieces any chance he can get. I will admit, albeit reluctantly, that there have been a few times I have just let him eat the piece of dog food. There's only so many times you can fish out a slimy, half chewed up, nasty smelling, lamb and rice pellet out of someones mouth, only to listen to said person wail and gnash his teeth for 15 minutes post pinkie swipe. You've gotta pick your battles, ya know?

Beauty & the Beast

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Ramblings from a Runner

I just got out of an ice bath. For those of you who don't know what an ice bath is, it's when you fill up the tub with the coldest water you can get to come out of your faucet and dump buckets of ice in it. They are highly addicting and help your body recover faster from running. As I sat down in the frigid tub and fought the bile that rose to my throat, I reminded myself the excruciating pain I felt would only last a few minutes until the numbness set it. What I was feeling was no match for the pain I would feel tomorrow morning when I tried to get out of bed if I skipped out on the ice bath.

You see, I just finished an 8 mile run and it's the first time I have run 8 consecutive miles since college. I ran XC and track all through high school and competed in college for a little while too. After that, my running became sporadic. I have always had a love/hate relationship with running and that is still the case. The past few years I rarely ran because I hated the fact that I was so SLOW.

It really bothered me that I was 15 pound heavier than college and I was never going to be able to crank out the times I did 10 years ago. (okay, 25 pounds, but hey I was tiny in college, we logged some insane mileage every week and I didn't have much fat on me...plus I've had two kids in three years so don't judge me!)

Anyways, I digress. A few months ago, I reconnected with a friend who I found out started a training group for our local marathon. After a long talk with her about my hesitation to start up running, I realized two things:

1. It's not about what I did 10 years ago.
2. It IS about what I am doing now.

So I signed up to run the half marathon (13.1 miles folks) and as I was running today, I realize that at this point in my life I run for the following reasons:

1. I run for myself. As a teacher, coach, wife, and mom of two, I don't get much "me" time. Running gives me some time to myself, time to think, time to reflect. Sometimes, I just put my body on cruise and go, only listening to my breath and the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. Runs like those, I don't even think to blink.

2. I run for Noelle and Ty. I want my kids to value a healthy lifestyle. I want them to have a high self esteem. I want them to be competitive and push themselves beyond their limits. I want them to be disciplined and focused. Athletics is one area that they can learn this and who else to teach it to them besides me? Lead by example, right? My friends and colleagues laugh at me when I tell them Noelle ran a race, or that Ty and Noelle are doing gymnastics. They say they are "too young", that I've structured their life too much- the list goes on. I let Noelle run races, not because I'm grooming her to become the next All-state XC runner (although that would be fantastic!!), but because this is when it starts; this is the time you instill life-long values in your kids.

Ahhh, yes, I had finally flipped my love/hate relationship back on the love side for running. It was a beautiful thing.

Until I turned around at the 4th mile to head home and the wind slapped me in the face like a ton of bricks. 30 mph straight out of the north. How the hell did I miss that on the weather channel?! I spent the next 4 miles contemplating throwing myself in front of every city bus that passed by. But I did finish the run. Painfully. Obviously slower on the back half. But, I was still under my goal time so I had that going for me.

9 miles next sunday and I better be sure to read the weather channel extra carefully because I would hate to have to ruin some poor bus driver's Easter...

And the excuses keep comin'....

I am trying to type up a portfolio for my National Board Certification and I can't concentrate because Miss Noelle won't get to sleep. For your entertainment and my sanity, I'll list some of the excuses I hear her wailing as the night progresses:

I'm hot
I'm cold
I'm hungry
I'm scared
I'm thirsty
I want you dad
dad, dad daaaad, DAAAAD
dada
I love you mom
I want my bow paci
I have to go pottie
I want you dad
Can you rub my back
mom? dad? I love you
I'm sad
I need a hug
I need you to tickle my back
I'm not tired
I need a tissue

The final plea: I love you dad

And cue the sandman! Back to work now that there is peace in the house.